Football Greek Style :-D and Time To Go Home

Alykanas Travel Blog

Got up and started sorting out the packing. Because of rotten flight times we had paid an extra â‚¬20 to keep room on for an extra day.Had planned all week to go to game with Dimitris and Norris, the other Scottish bloke, so I headed off, while the others got ready to go to the beach.

There was a mix up over the kick off time and I ended up at the closed Jungle Bar waiting. Went for a walk along the beach to pass the time before all meeting up and heading into the main town to the ground. The local team are Zakynthos Olympions and they play in the Greek 3rd Division(Southern Section).

Dull first half against a team from Athens area,Keravnos Kerateas, though the visitors did have a penalty saved by the Zakynthos keeper. All through the game though there were flares and smoke grenades,thunder flashes :-O and fireworks being set off an the crowd was less than 1000.

Away Fans

Still there was crowd trouble,with about twenty away fans fenced in at one side of the ground and something must have been said and they started having a pop at each other through the fence and running down to get through the gap at the fence at the bottom where half a dozen police held them back while others went up and moved the Keravnos supporters back along away from the fence.

Early second half Zakynthos took the lead when the substitute,who was on less than a minute, picked the ball up wide right and cut inside before curling one into the top left corner. Both teams had other chances, but all in all Zakynthos were looking comfortable and deserving of all three points.

Funny at one point as one of the Zakynthos players went down injured and the physio was on treating him when one of the Keravnos players came over to say he was making a meal of it.

Smoke Flares

The FEMALE physio started going ballistic at the guy and was shouting in his face and squaring up to him :-D . She got a big cheer and applause as she came back along the touchline.

Two minutes from time Keravnos Kerateas got a free kick which they swung in and the keeper took it comfortably. As everyone started to trudge upfield, one of the Keravnos players was in front of the keeper but backing away,but there was another lurking behind him still. I kept my eye on it as I suspected Iknew what he was going to try and do. With the refs back turned though, as the keeper went to kick it out the Keravnos player kicked it out of his hands and the other one close by ran in and tapped it into the net.

The ref had turned back when the crowd raored about the foul on the keeper, but only saw the ball going into the net and signalled to award the goal.

Police On The Scene

Bottles rained onto the pitch, and although plastic were still full,hitting the near side linsemen and the crowd were up on the fences screaming and going absolutely apeshit.

The Zakynthos players surrounded the referee, the goalkeeper lost it, the whole of the Zakynthos coaching staff were in the 18 yard box arguing with the referee,both linesmen had to get in as Keravnos players started coming back into it, to seperate players and try to get the referee out of it. Eventually the police were on the pitch and in the middle of it, threatening the players and forming a barrier between them and the referee. Took ages for it all to calm down and all the time the police stayed as the officials conferred and eventually overturned there decision and awarded a free kick .

The polce eventually came off and the game fiished, but there was another big melee at the end of the match as just about everyone tried to get to the referee.

Order Restored

The police were out again in the centre circle to escort the ref and the linesmen off the pitch. This is actually the norm anyway, Dimitris explained to me last year, and that time the cops went out to the centre circle in full riot gear complete with shields.

Good fun of a Sunday afternoon :-D

Had a text to say everyone was back at the hotel,so Dimitris dropped me off there on the way back. Got set to go out for meal and still debating whither to go back to The Paradosiko or The Olympic,but in the end the kids decided based on the fact that they thought the saganaki there was better.

Went in and my son asked if he could give us â‚¬20 of his own money then could he order the lobster from the menu.

Match Ticket

Felt a bit guilty about taking his money, but he is quite independant that way about things that he wants. It was a lovely meal,in a really nice environment, and he did eat ALL of the lobster.

After dinner we went back to The Jungle Bar. After talking to them the day before, we knew this was to be their last night of the season. Spiridula had been at a birthday party and Vicky was in with her,and there were a few more of Dimitris family in. This was a night to close the bar and use up what was left, so no money was needed 8)

Vicky had to go up the road to put her daughter to bed, and we stayed on for a while, though probably a bit longer, and a few beers more,than originally intended. Pick up from the hotel was at 3am, so we made our way back there and did have time to put my head down for a bit before gathering to wait for the bus.

Evening Sky

This was the last flight of the season, and the amamlgamated those that had been there for a week and a fortnight so there were no more pick ups and we were straight off to the airport.

Check in was well organised, and wasted little time in that, so the others went through to departures, while I went out for a last cigarette. I actually took a walk down to the old airport terminal, the scene of manyan uncomfortable wait. just before 5am the Thomas Cook flight came in to land and I made my way through to departures.